The Scratching Post: March 2021
Message from Pam Miller, Founder & President:
Dear SAFE Haven family,
I am so pleased to come to you this beautiful spring with an update on “all things SAFE Haven!”
Of course, no one could have predicted these very changeable times over a year ago when this all started. Some things have changed at SAFE Haven and some of the changes have made our programs and services stronger. Here are some of the highlights:
- Formerly stray cats are still finding amazing homes in great numbers by in-person appointment only. For now, we are not able to have walk-ins at the shelter but are looking forward to the time when we can again give tours – especially to children!
- While our SAFE Care Clinic is in transition (looking for a new full-time vet who is super passionate about our nonprofit mission) we have three very experienced and dedicated part-time vets. They are helping us spay/neuter unowned feral cats, all the SAFE Haven cats, and cats from other rescues.
- Our partners at the Purr Cup Café opened Raleigh’s only cat café in October. They are adopting scores of our cats every month! Read about this amazing, lifesaving success story on page 4.
On a more serious note, we are increasingly being contacted by people who 1) cannot keep their cats due to job loss, 2) do not have a place to live with their cats because of eviction or 3) by relatives of loved ones who have passed away. This is happening multiple times a week. We are doing everything we can and thanks to your support, we have been able to take cats from each of these situations. We will continue to respond to these heart-wrenching situations and make them a priority.
As one of the few resources in the Triangle to provide food to needy dogs and cats, our Pet Food Pantry had doubled our capacity since July. Today, we are currently supporting 76 dogs and 202 cats from 66 families.
So, challenges aside, with your help, we will continue to focus on everything we CAN do right now to save lives.
With gratitude,
Pamela Miller
Founder & President
Although he was overweight, Verne was quite the looker and quickly became a shelter favorite! Our shelter director, Patti, took him in as her office supervisor, a job he took very seriously. He enjoyed being the center of attention, lazing around Patti’s office (especially on her desk), and taking victory strolls around the shelter while flaunting his freedom to the other cats. After about two months of adoration, he was officially ready for adoption.
Our shelter director, Patti, quickly made him her office assistant. He was put on a strict, wet-food-only diet. Volunteers and staff were happy to give him lots of attention and play time to help him move a little more. Weekly weigh-ins quickly showed us that his special program was working!